I saved the best for last, of our
Cincinnati dining excursions. It happened to be the first meal we had during this trip, and nothing else quite lived up to
Sotto.
First, it's really fun to find, as it's tucked away down a flight of stairs off the street level in Downtown.
You then take two more flights of stairs down into the underbelly of the city, and are greeted with dark rooms, warm low lighting, rustic and industrial elements, and candlelight. It is one of the only restaurants in my life that immediate just struck me as SEXY.
The service was top notch, with a very detailed verbal walk through of the menu and helpful suggestions along the way.
We started with a house favorite, the
goat cheese, hazelnut honey, and grilled bread ($9). The secret is that the goat cheese is whipped with ricotta, and it was silky smooth.
Next up was the
grilled octopus with white bean shishito ragu, and breadcrumbs ($21).
Holy crap was this dish beyond delicious. The octopus was cooked perfectly, but not the star of the show as the dish read on the menu. That bean and pepper ragu was to die for, and we could have eaten another bowl.
A friend had raved about their
cacio e pepe with tonnarelli, black pepper, and pecorino ($17), and boy did it live up to the hype. Rich, decadent, and the pasta was cooked perfectly.
But Mr. H's
tagliatelle con funghi with morels, spring onion, and parmigiano ($28) stole this course. The ramps featured gave it such a beautiful flavor.
This restaurant falls within the top three meals I've had in Cincinnati, and we'll be revisiting this one for sure. Maybe even on our next trip there...
118 E 6th Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
(513) 977-6886
